FitSugar

Michelle Obama Arm Envy Reaching New Heights

FitSugar — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 04:30:00 PDT

Michelle Obama made a fashionable entrance into the White House, and the first lady has been receiving attention on her style choices and toned arms since President Obama was sworn into office. While Michelle has been showing her commitment to promoting healthful eating across the country, Americans have been exhibiting their dedication to her toned arms on the Internet and in the gym.

There's a website dedicated to the first lady's enviable arms, appropriately named First Guns, where Michelle's arms have been endearingly nicknamed Thunder and Lightning. The Running Center in New York has developed a class called M.O.D.A (Michelle Obama Defined Arms) that focuses on the body part our first lady is known for, and I'd put money on more gyms offering similar classes.

Feeling a little Michelle-Obama-arm-envy yourself? Check out my collection of arm exercises: Work your biceps, triceps, and shoulders to get stronger and more defined arms.

Source

Stretch It: Seated Biceps Stretch

FitSugar — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:30:00 PST

Here's a stretch for one of the biggest muscles in your arms, the biceps. Along with your biceps, you'll also feel a nice stretch in your pectoralis mucles (your chest).

Sit on the floor with your legs bent in front of you.
Lean back and place your hands flat on floor just behind your booty. Fingers should be pointing away from body and your hands should be relatively close together.
Slowly walk your feet forward (away from your hands) until you feel the stretch in your biceps, but not so much that it hurts.
Hold for 30 seconds.

Back to Basics: Overhead Press

FitSugar — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 04:00:00 PST

Putting all the fancy machines and accessories aside, sometimes you just want to get in a good workout without having to decipher how to use the gadgets. The overhead press is a great way to work your deltoids, biceps and triceps using a set of dumbbells. Pick a dumbbell weight that tires your muscles by about 12 lifts, a good weight to start with is five pounds.

Here's how:

Stand with your legs hip-width apart, knees soft. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and raise arms so that your biceps are parallel to the ground, arms at 90 angles, palms facing forward.
Exhale as you slowly straighten arms until they are extended as you press your hands straight-up toward the ceiling.
Inhale as you return your arms back to the starting position (biceps parallel to the group and at 90 degree angles).
Repeat 12 times. Do three sets.

Fit's Tip: You can also do overhead presses while sitting on a bench. Or to challenge yourself a little more do them while sitting on an exercise ball.

Source

Which Type of Fit Man Attracts You?

FitSugar — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 15:45:00 PDT

A new study has found that women are more physically attracted to brawny men, especially for a fling. But when it comes to finding a long-term partner, they tend to pick a regular man over a mate with huge biceps.

So I am curious: In general are you more attracted to a man with a chiseled bod (Matthew McConaughey), or one who is more average (Matthew Perry)?

Source and Flynet

Guess Who?

FitSugar — Sun, 06 May 2007 04:00:00 PDT

Guess who's got these toned and muscular arms?

Want to find out? Then

read more It's Madonna! Forget Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Girls just wanna have those arms! Her arms are inspirational. She looks so strong - it's amazing! It must be all the Ashtanga Yoga she does and her macrobiotic diet. To tone up your arms, you can do arm strengthening exercises like the bent over kick back for toned triceps. Or check out this video to really work all the muscles in your arms, just in time for tank top weather.

View 3 Photos ›

Source

Get Lifted: Alternating Hammer Curls

FitSugar — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 12:45:00 PST

Looking to tone up those arms? The Hammer Curl is a great way to work your biceps as well as your forearms.

To learn how to do the alternating hammer curl,

read more Stand (or sit if you are worried about keeping your back straight) with your arms down at your sides holding 8-12 pound dumbbells, palms facing in. Keeping your palms facing in, bend your elbow to raise one arm to shoulder level then lower it back to waist level (think of using a hammer). Repeat with the other side to complete one rep. Do 3 sets of 15. Fit's Tip: Don't sway your arms to raise the dumbbell, always keep a controlled motion. If you find you need to sway or use your back a lot to do the hammer curl, switch to a lower weight--the name of the game is quality, not quantity. If it feels way too easy, increase to a higher weight. Source

Get Madonna's Arms With This 10-Minute Workout

Zelana Montminy — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:31:40 PST

Toned arms never go out of style. If your shoulders have been hidden under a thick, cozy sweater for the last couple of months, it's time to start prepping them for tank top season. Take 10 minutes to work your biceps and triceps with Andrea Orbeck. She's trained many Victoria's Secret models and now she'll train you in the comfort of your living room. Grab a some dumbbells and get ready to tone your guns.

Press play and follow along as Andrea leads you through this short, but intense workout.

Got Two Left Feet? Let Zumba Help You Find the Beat

Self — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:12:19 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Self here on FitSugar!

If you're anything like me, Zumba has always held a certain allure, but the very idea of dancing in front of a roomful of people sounds about as appealing as doing my taxes or making a spur-of-the-moment appointment at the DMV. I'm not just painfully shy about busting a move but hopelessly uncoordinated in the booty-shaking department.

So after years of avoiding Zumba for fear of embarrassing myself, I decided it was time to stop being a wallflower and start working up a sweat. "I used to be a very shy person but I have learned that everything in life is about attitude," says Gisella Ferreira, a Zumba instructor at the Brasil Brasil Cultural Center in Los Angeles. "Having a positive attitude makes all the difference, so go with an open mind and let yourself enjoy the party!"

As for doing the actual dance steps, Ferreira is quick to point out that literally anybody can follow along with a little practice. "I see new Zumba students every day that have never danced in their lives and are able to dance through the whole class," she says. "Zumba is a world dance fitness party. It's easy to do, effective, and totally exhilarating." If that's not enough motivation, Ferreira says Zumba burns between 500 and 800 calories per class and targets "glutes, thighs, calves, abdominals, core, pectorals, biceps, and triceps."

Ready to get this party started? Add this five-move sequence to your regular workout routine four days a week and, before you know it, you'll be dancing in the streets. Read on for the workout.

Get the Bod: Jennifer Aniston's Arms

Zelana Montminy — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:38:55 PST

The secret to Jennifer Aniston's sleek, toned arms, according to her yoga go-to Mandy Ingber, is the Sun Salute. A staple of every yoga class, the Sun Salute stretches and strengthens the shoulders, biceps, and triceps. It's also a great way to warm up before working out. Take a lesson from Mandy and learn the Sun Salute by watching this video.

From the Community: a Total-Body Toning Circuit

Fit Community — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:57:49 PST

FitSugar reader FitFabCities has a circuit workout that works your entire body. She shared the video with us in our Fit Community.

Grab a resistance band and a pair of dumbbells, and you're good to go for this full-body circuit-training workout . . . and the best part is you don't even have to leave your living room to do it. That said, this is also a great workout to try at the gym if you're looking to switch up your regular routine.

Circuit training means you move from exercise to exercise and take minimal breaks between the moves so you keep your heart rate up the entire time. This helps to burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time, something I love. There are eight exercises total in this workout, and we are going for about 15 reps per exercise. You'll notice there are a lot of multimuscle group exercises meaning you'll work more than one muscle at once, which is perfect if you're short on time. Let's be honest, who's isn't?

Strength training is so important since it helps to prevent injury, increase bone density, increase muscle mass (meaning you burn more calories just doing things like driving your car or watching Bravo) and, of course, it helps you feel fab in your jeans.

You might want to watch this workout video once to preview the exercises then follow along for a kick-butt, total body workout sure to burn lots of calories and tighten and tone every muscle in your body!

Keep reading for the video and workout breakdown.